Last year saw the completion of two major projects for the National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL): the moving of the institute from its original location in the Togoshi area of Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward to a new facility in Tachikawa City and the millennial anniversary of The Tale of Genji.  Particularly with regard to the millennial anniversary of The Tale of Genji, the NIJL played a major part as the driving force behind the promotion of the anniversary; under the leadership of former Director-General and leading Genji scholar Haruki Ii, the NIJL marked its move to Tachikawa with a special exhibit entitled “The Tale of Genji: A Millennia of Acclaim” while the National Institutes for the Humanities sponsored an international symposium entitled “The beauty of the Tale of Genji”.

   The brand new, massive facility which the NIJL has moved to will be shared with the National Institute of Polar Research and the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, both of which are part of the Research Organization of Information and Systems, a fellow Inter-University Research Institute Corporation.  The National Institute of Polar Research moved into the facilities in May and the Institute of Statistical Mathematics moved in October, signaling a full-scale start to Inter-University Research Institute Corporation activities in Tachikawa.

   At the time of the opening ceremony last May, the chalk-colored facility had a somewhat barren feel to it – isolated in an undeveloped and sparsely populated area.  But with the appearance of an eight-story building housing the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District and Family Court on the eastern side of the facility, general improvements, including planting and landscaping, have reached a fever pitch.  Furthermore, a new building is being constructed on the western side of the facility to house the Tachikawa City Office, which is currently located on the south side of Tachikawa Station; the transfer to the new building is expected to be completed by the end of May holidays next year.  This is expected to lead to greater development in the local transportation network as well as spur an influx of eating and drinking establishments, thereby enhancing the access and convenience of the new facility.

   The NIJL is an Inter-University Research Institute Corporation with two core pillars: the promotion of joint research with university affiliated researchers and research projects within the NIJL itself or the National Institutes of the Humanities and the cataloging and public display of microfilm resources which represent the accumulated efforts of researchers nationwide over the more than 30 years which have passed since the establishment of the NIJL.  We will continue to work at and improve these two areas and, as we have steadily improved our exhibition capabilities since our days in Togoshi, will work with researchers and even members of the general public to plan regular exhibits which will communicate Japanese literature not only within Japan but to the wider world as well.

    It is my hope that you will take full advantage of the new and improved NIJL and help contribute to the further development of Japanese literary research.

 
Yuichiro Imanishi
Director-General
National Institute of Japanese Literature
National Institutes for the Humanities